A Small Texas Town Will Become The First Legal Cannabis Dispensary In State

Already legalized in several states for recreational use and medical use in many others, Texas still remains one of the states that has not legalized the use of marijuana for wide spread medical usage much less recreational, but one Texas town is about to become the first to open the state's first legal cannabis dispensary. This town, situated off of I-10 within the triangle of Austin, Houston and San Antonio will be the site for those with a specific ailment to get some relief.

Having less than 3,000 residents within city limits, Schulenburg, TX will soon be known for more than its kolaches and German food! You may be wondering if Texas hasn't legalized cannabis for medical usage then how is this dispensary legal. According to Wide Open Country, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 339 during the 2015 legislative session which legalized the sale of medical cannabis oil with the law going into effect this past September, on September 1, 2017. The law, known as the Compassionate Use Program works like this according to Texas Standard:

... patients with epilepsy and a doctor’s recommendation can register with the state, which allows them to visit one of three licensed dispensaries to purchase cannabis oil. The oil must only contain 0.5 percent THC or less in order for it to be legal in the State.

The oil can either be inhaled through a vaporizer or taken sublingually."

Patients with intractable epilepsy will have to have a doctor's prescription and be registered with the state in order to receive the cannabis oil. Wide Open Country and many other studies states that cannabis oil has been successful when it comes to preventing seizures in patients with epilepsy.

David McNew, Getty Images

Now keep in mind, this dispensary will only produce products with very low THC levels - the component that gives the user a 'high'. Instead, these products will have high concentrations of CBD, which is the component that helps with seizures and other ailments.

The owner of the dispensary, Jose Hidalgo told Texas Public Radio in an interview that the site for his dispensary was strategically chosen.

We require a large amount of land for us to even consider that and then the next consideration after that was how can we get the closest to the largest amount of the population. So for us, Schulenburg was a good location because you are right near the triangle of Houston, San Antonio and Austin."